Game apparatus.



B. PURNELL.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 9, 1913. I

. Patented May 26, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A iiorney.

B. PURNELL.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1913.

1,097,938, Patented May 26,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

O n A a Fig.10. 1 13211.,

fizvenior:

BE JAM PUR E B TQN H RBO HIGAN- GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1914:.

Application filed June 9, 1913. Serial No. 772,682.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN PURNELL, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Benton Harbor, in the county of Berrien and the State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement to be Used in a Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to improvements in a game apparatus, and specifically to that class in which balls are rolled along an alley or table from one end so as to strike pins. pivotally mounted at the Other end of said alley or table, after the manner of the ordinary bowling game; and the objects of my improvements are, first, to provide a means to force each pin of Said game apparatus to a horizontal position after being slightly displaced from a vertical posit-ion; second, to provide a means for automatically registering the force of a blow or blows on any desired pin orpins, thereby adding interest to the game; third, to provide means for resetting the aforesaid registering device to its. initial, or zero po. sition, and all the pins to their initial or vertical position by a single movement of a rod; and, fourth, to render the entire apparatus simple and economical of construc tion, combined with durability, and at the same time readily accessible and adjustable, as well as efficient and entirely practical. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- A Figure 1 is a side view of a pin in a vertical position, showing a pivoting device sectioned through the center; Fig. 2, is a side view of said pin in a horizontal posi tion, showing a pivoting device sectioned through the center; Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are top sectional, front, and side fragmentary views respectively of the registering device, and, Fig. 6, is a perspective view of the assembled apparatus, with the front portion of the alley or table broken away, looking from the front along the direction the balls are rolled. Fig. 7 is aside view of a pin in a vertical position in connection with a registering device including the details, with its resetting arm in its operative position; Fig. 8 is a side view of a pin in a horizontal position, in connection with its registering device, the resetting arm being in its inoperative position; Fig. 9 1s a plan plan View of a longitudinal member of the said frame.

In Fig. 6 a registering device is shown for one pin only which is considered sufiicient to, illustrate the principle; the registration of the force on each pin requiring a similar device.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The alley or table 3/ 6) having a suitable backstop 0:, has supported above it a frame h, and pins a, each of said pins being pivotally mounted on an axle e extending to a pivoting device at each side of said pin, said devices being inclosed in casings g, fastened to the frame it. The casing g (Figs. 1 and 2) is so constructed as to admit the axle e of rectangular cross-section, which is pivoted at the circular opening cl in the side of said casing, said axle being rigidly fastened to the pin a. The pistons f are held yieldably against said axle c by the tension of springs 6, each of said springs in turn reacting against the caps 0, which are screwed into either end of said casing making the device readily accessible and adjustable. The bumper 2' (Figs. 1 and 2) is fitted into the ear g of the arm hi, said arm being connected to the frame h.

The registering device (as illustrated in Figs. 3, iand 5) is adapted to register the force of a blow struck upon a pin a, when attached to the frame h, by means of the plate hj and the bumper i is replaced by the bumper 0, constituting a part of the registering device, said bumper 0 being adapted to move freely up and down a distance limited by the pin p between the ear q and the graduated guide j. The weight Z is fastened in the graduated guide j in a manner which allows it to move freely in a vertical direction, to which is attached an index is, said index being used to register the height to which said weight rises, which height is a measure of the work done upon said weight by the reaction of the blow upon a pin a transmitted by the bumper 0, on which the said weight rests when in its initial, or zero position. A plain vertical strip 12 (Figs. 8, 4 and 5) is rigidly fastened to the guide j, by means of the bracket ny' to which is attached (by means of a bolt or pin t at each end of said strip in the slots a), the strip m having a serrated edge at the back thereof, the serrations being so shaped as to allow an upward travel of the catch 8 (which has a tendency to spring toward said serrations), but arrests its downward movement until dislodged. Hingedly attached to said serrated strip by means of the pin am is a strap 1', which in turn is connected to the bracket nj by the pin a2 so that strap r can rotate about the pin a2 and can travel endwise a distance limited by the slot in strap 1". The pin m is fastened rigidly in strap r and extends to the surface of bracket nj. A rod 2 operates between pins car and a2 and is pivoted at its lower end to the limb 02' 0f the resetting arm 41,- this rod z has a lower portion reduced on the front side, an upper portion unreduced, and connecting these, a wedge portion, so that when said roc z is moved from the position shown in Fig. 8 to the position shown in Fig. 7 the strap a" will be rotated and moved forward, which will cause the strip m to move upward, and forward so that its serrations will be in front of the rear edge of strip a, thus resetting the registering device, this change of position of z referred to being given by a pull on lever a0 pivoted on the pin at, the rod 'w connecting the resetting arm 'v and the said lever (00, said pull on (20 rotating the resetting arm o from the position shown in Fig. 8 to the position shown in Fig. 7, thereby resetting any pins which may have been horizontal to a vertical po sition, the resetting of the entire device for further play having been accomplished. The spring aw tends to keep the resetting device in the position shown in Fig. 8.

When a suitable ball is rolled along the alley or table y and strikes pins a knocking them from a vertical position, said pins when slightly displaced will be forced to and held at the horizontal position by the action of the springs b on the rectangular axle e transmitted through the pistons f operating in the casing g but if said pins a are not displaced sufficiently from the vertical position to allow the corners of the rectangular aXle e to pass the center line of the pistons f, the said pins a will be forced back to their vertical positions by said springs Z) When pins a reach the horizontal positions their further progress is arrested by the bumpers 2' or 0. When bumper 0, of the registering device, is struck, it transmits the force of the blow to the weight Z which rises a distance proportionate to the blow received and the index indicates the height on the graduated guide y at which the weight Z is held at its highest point of travel by the catch 8 engaging the serrations on the strip m until the rod w (which is connected to the lever as at the front of the alley) is pulled, thereby resetting the pins by the pivotally mounted rods a and at the same time releases the weight Z by pulling the serrated strip m forward until disengaged from the catch 8 by the plane strip a, said pull being transmitted through rod z and strap 1" When the weight Z is released it drops to the bumper, the entire apparatus being reset by a single movement of the rod w The oblique slots a in the strip m are parallel, so that a forward pull on the strap r will cause said strip 172; to slide up on the pins t, (guided by the said slots u) moving upward and forward equally at both ends, and when the pull is released said strip drops back by gravity to its initial position.

I am aware that prior to my invention a.

bowling apparatus with pins pivotally mounted have been made. I therefore do not claim such broadly, but

I claim:

1. In a bowling game apparatus of the character described, having members pivotally mounted, devices for automatically measuring or registering the force ofa blow or blows on any of said members.

2. In a game apparatus, comprising an alley or table, a frame mounted above the end of said alley or table, a plurality of members pivotally supported on said frame, and adapted to hang in the path of balls rolled along the alley or table, and a backstop adapted to arrest said balls rolled along said alley or table; a plurality of registering devices, adapted to register the force of blows upon said pivoted members and a means for resetting said pivoted members to a vertical position and the registering devices to their initial or zero positions by a single movement of a rod, all substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a game apparatus, of an alley or table; a frame mounted above the end of said alley or table; a plurality of members pivotally supported on said frame, and adapted to hang in the path of balls rolled along the alley or table, a backstop adapted to arrest the progress of said balls rolled along said alley or table, and a resetting device adapted to return said members to a vertical position after being struck by said balls; with a plurality of registering devices, adapted to register the force of blows upon said pivoted members, all substantially as set forth.

4. In a bowling game apparatus, a pivoting device comprising an axle or pivot of in a position parallel to said surfaces, sub- 10 substantially rectangular cross-section operstantially as set forth.

ating between two substantially parallel sur- In testimony whereof, I aHiX my signafaces, springs adapted to impel said surfaces ture, in the presence of two witnesses. toward each other, so that when the long BENJAMIN PURNELL side of said axle is perpendicular to said parallel surfaces. it tends to remain so, but Witnesses: y when displaced from said position slightly, HUMPHREY S. GRAY, said long side tends to assume and remain 1 FRANCIS THORPE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

